White House Dangles Obama Commencement Speech

If your high school commencement speech was some guy from the Chamber of Commerce, the White House has a less nap-inducing alternative: The public school voted most dedicated to prepping its kids for college and career will get a graduation address from one Barack Obama. Six finalist schools are on the ballot, which is up for vote starting today as part of the administration's "Race to the Top."

Check out this page to watch 3-minute videos and read essays from the finalists. The page also outlines the criteria for winning, which are quite detailed and perhaps require more than a 3-minute video to judge, Valerie Strauss points out in the Washington Post—though she concedes that the administration's heart is in the right place. (More high school stories.)